Combination headlight and hand lamp



Aprll 2, 1935 F. L. HUMESTON COMBINATIOBL HEADLIGHT AND HAND LAMP 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR ATTORNEYS a 9 Mg 1 Fo h m a M d e l i F i u/ 0 A ril 2, 1935. F L. HUMESTON 1,996,577.

- COMBINATION HEADLIGHT AND HAND LAM? Filed March 5, 19 32 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORN EY5 Patented Apr. 2, 1935 inure ooMnrNA'rioN HEADLIGHT AND'HAND LAMP 7 Frederick L. Humeston, New Haven, Conn, assignor to Winchester Repeating Arms Company, New Haven, Conn, a, corporatlon of Maryland Application March 5, 1932, Serial No. 596,923:

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in electric lightin outfits and more particularly to im provements in that type of apparatus which may be characterized as a combination hand lamp and headlight.

Those who have had occasion to use flashlights or portable electric li hting outfits of other types have recognized the need for a combination battery hand lamp and headlight and the principal object of this invention is to provide such a combination device in a form that is inexpensive to manufacture but having greater utility than the devices heretofore employed for similar purposes. According toone embodiment of my invention the device comprises a battery casing of substantially rectangular configuration having a bail or other handle associated with the casing in such a manner that the casing may be carried in an upright position, and the lighting element or lamp head is mounted on one side of the casing so that when the device is carried by the handle it serves as an efiicient and convenient handlamp or lantern. .The lamp head is detachably secured to the side of the casing by means comprising a bracket in which the lamp head is pivotally mounted and this bracket is so formed that when it is desired to use the device as a headlight the bracket With the lamp head mounted thereon can be secured to the head of the person using the device.

One of the features of my invention is the provision of a permanent circuit connection extending between the battery casing and the lamp head, the arrangement being such that the device can be converted from a battery hand lamp to a headlight without changing or interrupting the electric circuit between the lamp head and the battery casing. A strip of flexible material, preferably althoigh not necessarily of an elastic character, is associated with the lamp head and with the bracket on which the lamp head is mounted in such a manner that the strap may be employed for the purpose of securing the lamp head to the head of the person using the device, or, when it is desired to use the device as a hand lamp, this strap may be wrapped around the battery casing and secured in position to hold the lamp head firmly in place on the casing. It is convenient to provide a clip or slidably adjustable member on the strap suitable for carrying a hook to support the lamp cord and also carrying a projection to which the free end of the strap may be secured when the strap is Wrapped around the battery casing. The hook carried by the strap is useful for supporting a portion of the'lamp cord when the device is mounted on the head of the person using the same.

As previously explained, it is preferable to have the lamp head detachably mounted on one side of the battery casing to thus provide a battery hand lamp of compact construction and capable of efiicient operation. In order that the hand lamp may be placed on a table or other supporting surface in a stable upright position it is desirable to provide a swinging supporting clip on the bottom of the casing and adapted to be swung out so as to projectfrom that side of the battery casing on which the lamp head is mounted. This enlarges the effective area of the base of the casing and prevents the casing from falling over due to the weight of thelamp head mounted on one side of the casing. Means may be provided for securing the swinging supporting clip in any one of a number of predetermined positions.

The construction of the supporting bracket for the lamp head is preferably such that the lamp head can'be tilted to any desired angular position and in order that this freedom of movement may be unrestricted and in order to prevent accidental disconnection of the lamp cord from the lamp bulb terminals I prefer to have the cord associated with the lamp head bracket in such a, way that ample slack is provided at all times in that portion of the cord between one portion of the lamp bracket and the'bulb terminals. This may be accomplished by providing an aperture in a portion of the lamp bracket and by providing the lamp cord with an enlarged portionhaving a di-, ameter substantially larger than that of the aperture in the bracket. The lamp cord extends through the aperture and bracket and it is convenient to provide the enlarged portion in the cord by tying a knot in that portion ofthe cord between the aperture and the bracket and the lamp bulb terminals. This prevents the cord from being accidentally disconnected from the lamp bulb terminals, for any tension applied to the cord can not be transmitted beyond the knot in the cord which engages that portion of the bracket adjacent to the opening therein through which the cord passes. I l v I The lamp head bracket is preferably provided with a pad of resilient material such as soft rub her, or the like. This pad maybe carried "bya flexible strip of metal, or the like, having a plurality of tongues at one or both ends thereof adapted to engage opposite sides of one or; more portions of the lamp head bracket wherebyjthis I flexible strip is held in place on'the bracket. The battery casing may be provided with clips for en"- gaging the base portion of the lamp head bracket to hold the same in position on the battery casing and the arrangement is preferably such that the padded portion of the bracket engages the surface of the battery casing. There is accordingly considerable friction between the base of the bracket and the casing which aids in holding the bracket in position and the resilient pad protects the casing and prevents the finish on the casing from being marred or scratched when the lamp head is applied to or removed from-the casing.

The battery casing is preferably of rectangular configuration and adapted to hold several dry cells. These dry cells may be arranged in such a manner that they are connected in series with each other and while a variety of arrangements of the individual cells may be employed yet I prefer to arrange them in a compact manner involving a parallel arrangement of one'or two pairs of cells with one addiitonal cell placed across the ends of one pair of the cells arranged side by side. In other words one of the cells is disposed at right angles to the major axis of each of the cells that are disposed side by side. By arranging the cells in this manner a relatively large number of cells may be located in a casing of small dimensions and. the terminal clips for completing the series circuit through the cells may be arranged close enough together to hold the cells firmly in place.

One side face of the casing is preferably in the form of a hinged door that may be opened for thepurpose of inserting or replacing the dry cells. It is convenient to provide a belt hook on the outer surface of this hinged door so that the battery casing can be hooked on a belt worn by the person using the device. The lamp head is normally applied to that face or side of the casing opposite the door.

The various objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent upon considering the following detail description of certain embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which v Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of my improved combination battery hand lamp and headlight showing the device arranged as a headlight; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in Fig. lQillustrating the arrangement of the device for use as a hand lamp;

Fig. 3 is rear elevation of the battery casing shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the battery casing;

Fig.5 is a bottom plan view of the battery cas- Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the strap forming apart of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and illustrating an adjustable clip mounted on the strap;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the battery casing showing the rear cover or door in its open position;

Fig. 8 is a development of the battery case lining showing the arrangement of the contact clips;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section view of the battery casing taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 7 illustrating details of construction;

- Fig. 10 is a horizontal section view taken on line ill-4i] of Fig. 7' showing details of construction of the battery casing;

.Fig. 11 is a vertical section view of the lamp head forming a part of the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. i

lamp head bracket;

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the lamp head bracket and Fig. 14 is a fragmentary section view illustrating the manner in which the lamp head bracket is connected to the lamp head.

The invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a battery casing l and a lamp head 2 permanently connected to the battery casing by a lamp cord :5 which completes the circuit from the battery casing to the terminals of the lamp bulb 4 in the head 2.

In Fig. 1 the lamp head 2 is shown separate from the casing l and the person using the device may fasten the lamp head to his forehead, or to his cap or hat, by means of a strap 5 attached to a bracket it which carries the lamp head 2.

In Fig. 2 the lamp head is shown mounted on one side of the battery casing and the device may then be used as a battery hand lamp and it may be conveniently carried in an upright position by means of the bail or handle 6 which may be attached either to the top of the casing as shown in full lines in Figs. land 2, or to the sides of the casing as illustrated in dotted lines at 6 in Fig. 1.

The battery casing I comprises a container of metal, or the like, preferably of elongated rectangular form as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The front face or side lof the battery casing is provided with clips 8 and 9 adapted to receive the base portion H of the lamp head bracket ill. The rear side l2 of the battery casing I may be made in the form of a door hinged to one side of the casing as shown at l3. This door may carry on its exposed surface a spring clip 54 suitable for attaching the battery casing to a belt worn by the person using the device. This arrangement is convenient for the belt clip mounted in this manner does not interfere in any way with the mounting of the lamp head on the opposite face of the battery casing.

I order that the battery casing with the lamp head mounted on one side thereof may be stood in an upright position on a table, or other supporting surface, I prefer to provide a swinging supporting member 25 mounted on the base 18 of the battery casing as best shown in Fig. 5. This supporting member may be secured to the casing by a rivet or other securing means as shown at H and the end of the supporting member near this rivet may be provided with an opening or recess !8 adapted to engage any one of several projections l9 carried by the'bottom of the battery casing whereby the supporting member may be locked in any one of a number of predetermined positions. For example, this swinging supporting member may be locked in its extending position shown in Fig. 2 and it will be noted that this member may extend outward from the casing on that side thereof on which the lamp head 2 is mounted. This enlarges the effective area or" the base of the battery casing so as to provide an adequate supporting base for the device. When the device is being used as a hand lantern carried by the person using the same, or when it is being used as a headlight with the battery casing fastened to a belt worn by the user, the supporting member It: may be swung back into the position shown in Fig. 5.

The top 20 of the battery casing is provided with a manually operable switch 2! suitable for completing the lamp circuit. In the device as shown in the drawings the battery casing is of metal and the switch contact 22 (see Fig. '7) carried by the switch member 2! is in direct contact with the casing. The end of the switch contact may be moved into direct contact with an insulated battery circuit terminal 23. The preferred arrangement of the dry cells in the battery casing is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 where it will be noted that a double contact clip 24 is mounted near the base I 8 of the casing and contact clips 25 and 25 are mounted near the top of the casing. The arrangement is such that the several dry cells 21, 28, 29, 39 and 3! are all connected in series with the cells 28 and 29 parallel to each other and in alignment with cells 3!) and 3! which are also arranged side by side parallel to each other. The fifth cell 2'! is arranged across'the upper ends of cells 28 and 29, or, in other words, at right angles to these cells. The contact clip 24 makes contact between the center terminal of cell 3! and the bottom of cell 313 and the contact clip 25 makes contact between the center terminal of cell 23 and the bottom of cell 21. The center terminal of the cell 2'! is in contact with a clip 32 integral with the contact 23 which is adapted to be engaged by the switch contact 22. The bottom terminal of cell 29 is connected to the conductor of the lamp cord. 3. The other conductor 34 of the lamp cord is grounded to the battery casing as shown at 35. The series circuit within the battery casing thus comprises the lamp cord conductor 33, battery clip 26, dry cells 29 and 3!, battery clip 24, cells 39 and 28, battery clip 25, dry cell 2'1, contact clips 32 and 2S, switch contact 22, the battery casing, and the conductor 34 of the lamp cord 3.

All of the contact clips in the battery casingare riveted or otherwise secured to a sheet of fibre board, or other insulating material, shown at 35 (see Fig. 8) and this sheet of insulating material is riveted or otherwise secured to a lining 3'! of insulating material. By this arrangement the rivets which serve to fasten the contact clips to the insulating sheet 36 are insulated from the battery casing by the lining 31. The rivets or eyelets 38 serve to fasten the insulating sheet 36 and the lining 3'! to the front face or side of the battery casing. The contact clips within the battery casing are arranged in such a manner that there is just room enough between them to insert the several dry cells and these cells should be inserted in the manner indicated by the arrows in Fig. 8 so as to form a battery circuit comprising the group of cells connected in series relation.

The construction of the battery lamp head and of the bracket in which the same is mounted are best illustrated in Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive. The lamp head comprises a head casing 39, a reflector 40 and a lens 4!. The reflector and lens may be carried in a lens retaining ring 42 adapted to be screwed onto the head casing 39. The reflector may be held firmly against the lens by an expansion ring 43. The head casing 39 carries a lamp bulb socket 44 for supporting the lamp bulb 4. This socket member comprises a central contact post 45 adapted to engage the central terminal of the lamp bulb and to also engage the contact terminal 45 connected to one conductor of the lamp cord 3. A screw threaded metal socket member 4'! is moiuited within an insulating socket sleeve 48 and makes contact with the outer or screw threaded terminal portion of the lamp bulb and this metal socket also makes contact with a contact clip 49 connected to the conductor 34 of the lamp cord.

The lamp head supporting bracket in is provided with supporting arms 50 and 5! on which the lamp head is pivotally mounted as best shown in Figs. 2 and 14 where the pivot connection is shown in the form of an eyelet 52 connecting the lamp head casing 39 to the bracket arm 50.

The base portion l of the lamp head bracket !0 carries a detachably mounted plate 53. This plate is of flexible material such as thin sheet metal and is provided at its opposite ends with a plurality of tongues 54-adapted to engage opposite sides of the end portions of the base I whereby the flexible plate is locked in position within a central aperture I! in the base plate. A pad of soft resilient material such as sponge-rubber, leather, or fabric material is shown at 55 and this pad is fastened to the detachable plate 59 by eyelets 55 or the like. When'the lamp head bracket is mounted on one side of the battery casing this soft pad 55 engages the surface of the casing as shown in Fig. 2 and protects the same from being marred or scratched by the bracket, especially while the bracket is being applied to or removed from the casing. The resilient pad is of special utility when the lamp head is mounted on the head of the person using the device and it is held in this position by the strap 5 which is preferably, although not necessarily of elastic material. One end of this strap engages a projection 5'! at one end of the lamp head bracket and the other end of the strap is provided with a fastener 58 adapted to engage a projection 59 carried by the opposite end 59 of the bracket base II. The strap 5 carries a member 5! (best shown in Fig. 6) slidably mounted thereon and provided with a hook 62 adapted to hold the lamp cord 3 in alignment with the strap 5 when the lamp head is mounted on the head of the person using the device. This adjustable member 6! also carries a projection'63 adapted to be engaged by the fastener 58 when the strap 5 is'wrappedaround the battery casing as illustrated in Fig. 2. In attaching the lamp head to the casing the lamp cord may first be wound around the casing and then the strap 5 may be wrapped around the casing over the lamp cord so as to conceal the same and protect it from injury.

Additional protection for the lamp cord may be provided by having the cord pass through an opening 64 in the bracket arm 5! as best illustrated in Fig. !2 and by providing an enlargement in that portion of the lamp cord between this bracket arm and the terminals of the lamp bulb in the lamp head. This can be conveniently provided by tying a knot in the cord as shown at 65. In this manner any tension applied to the lamp cord cannot be transmitted beyond the bracket arm 5| and accordingly the lamp cord conductors cannot be accidentally pulled away from the lamp head terminals. Furthermore, this arrangement insures adequate slack in that portion of the lamp cord between the bracket arm 5! and the bulb terminals to permit ample freedom of movement of the lamp head on its pivot support. The lamp head may be adjusted to any desired angular position regardless of whether the lamp head is mounted on the battery casing, or on the head of the person using the device, for the lamp head bracket is permanently connected to the lamp head in such a manner as to permit this adjustment.

When the lamp head is mounted on the battery casing I as illustrated in Fig.2 and it is desired to remove the lamp head so that it may be fastened to the head of the person using the device, it is merely necessary to release the strap fastener 58 and then slip the lamp head bracket sideways out of engagement with the clips 8 and 9 carried by the front side of the battery cas ing. The lamp headmay then be strapped to the forehead in the manner best illustrated in Fig. l. The person using the device in this manner as a headlight may either carry the battery casing by the bail or handle 6, or the handle'may be folded down to the position shown in Fig.- 2 and the battery casing may be carried by mounting the same on a belt worn by the user, in which event the belt clip M on the back or rear face of the casing is slipped over the belt. In making the transition from a battery hand lamp to a headlight it is not necessary to make any change in the electrical connections between the lamp head and the battery casing. The lamp cord forms a permanent circuit connection between the head and the casing. This feature is of considerable value for it greatly simplifies the operation 'of changing the device from a hand lamp or lantern to a headlight or vice versa.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular embodiments thereof illustrated or described in detail herein but includes such modifications thereof as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a battery casing, a battery therein and a lamp head comprising a bulb, a lens and a reflector, of means for detachably securing said head to said casing, comprising a bracket engaging the lamp head, a padded plate comprising a strip of flexible material having tongues at at least one end thereof for engaging opposite sides of a portion of said bracket and a strip of resilient material secured to said plate; and means for securing the bracket to the battery casing with the padded plate en gaging the same.

2. The combination with a battery casing, a

battery system therein and a lamp head comprising a bulb, a lens and a reflector, of means for detachably securing said head to said casing, comprising a bracket engaging the lamp head, means for adjusting and varying the position of the head lamp upon said bracket, a padded plate comprising a strip of flexible material having tongues at at least one end thereof for engaging opposite sides of a portion of said bracket and a strip of resilient material secured to said plate, and means for securing the bracket to the battery casing with the padded plate engaging the same.

3. The combination with a battery casing, a battery therein and a lamp head comprising a bulb, a lens and a reflector, of means for detachably securing said head to said casing, comprising a bracket engaging the lamp head, a padded plate comprising a strip of flexible material having tongues at at least one end thereof for engaging opposite sides of a portion of said bracket and a strip of resilient material secured to said plate, means for securing the bracket to the battery casing with the padded plate engaging the same, and a permanent circuit connection extending between the battery casing and the lamp head, said circuit including a lamp cord, said lamp cord passing through an aperture in said bracket supporting the lamp head and means on said cord cooperating with said aperture for preventing its accidental disconnection from the lamp head.

4. In a lamp head unit comprising a lamp head, a bracket engaging the lamp head, a detachable padded plate comprising a strip of flexible material having tongues at at least one end thereof for engaging opposite sides of a portion of said bracket and an adjustable strip attached to the ends of said bracket for mounting the unit about the head of a user whereby said padded plate rests against the forehead of said user.

FREDERICK L. HUMESTON. 

